Whichever version you chose, they are otherwise identical and feature the same engine, cutting system and propulsion system. That’s right – this is a self-propelled mower so there’s no need to push it along. That a mower this size is self-propelled at this price point is pretty remarkable, the downside is that it’s just a single speed but it’s not a really big deal. It pulls strongly, if a little slower for our liking.

The 158 cc Briggs and Stratton 500 series engine starts easily on the first pull and copes well with wet grass indicating that there’s surplus power available.

The height of the steel cutting deck can be easily adjusted between 25 mm and 80 mm over a range of 5 steps and has an interesting feature.

After you’ve cut your lawn, just connect your hosepipe to the cutting deck, turn on the water and start the engine. As the blade spins around it fires the water up inside the cutting deck and washes out any grass cuttings that have lodged in there. Ingenious !

Out of the box, assembly was very straightforward despite the slightly vague instructions but a glance at the box that it came in ought to clarify any confusion about which bits go where.

Given it’s size this is a fairly light mower weighing in at just under 29 kg and this could be a problem in the future. There are plenty of reviews on the internet of the older model (it’s the yellow and black one) complaining of poor build quality.

The newer all black model (pictured above) has apparently addressed many of these issues but only time will tell. We certainly had no problems with the McCullcoch M46-500CD in our time with it.

At the end of the day, if you’re going to compare this to a Honda petrol lawnmower then it’s going to come off worse. It’s half the price for a start and the Honda isn’t self-propelled either.

If you’re after a large self-propelled petrol lawnmower on a tight budget and you’re willing to accept that you may need to replace it in five years time then this is a good buy.